Monthly Archives: March 2014

So what differentiates your product from that of your competitors? It’s critical to your business success that you take the time to define what makes you different, and that you clearly communicate this message to customers to ensure that your product stands out from the crowd!

In this episode of “The Little Big Show,” small business expert Denise O’Berry shares how most companies get lost in a “sea of sameness” and the two little words you can use to make sure your business isn’t one of them.

You own a small business. You have always done things the same way from day one. You try to do most things yourself. It’s all in your head. You’ve probably asked yourself, “Written business procedures, do I really need any?” What’s wrong with this picture?

ARLINGTON, Va. — Only 1 minicar out of 11 tested achieves an acceptable rating in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s small overlap front crash test, making these tiny vehicles the worst performing group of any evaluated so far.

The ability to manage your emotions and remain calm under pressure has a direct link to your performance. TalentSmart has conducted research with more than a million people, and we’ve found that 90% of top performers are skilled at managing their emotions in times of stress in order to remain calm and in control.

If you’ve followed my work, you’ve read some startling research summaries that explore the havoc stress can wreak on one’s physical and mental health (such as the Yale study, which found that prolonged stress causes degeneration in the area of the brain responsible for self-control). The tricky thing about stress (and the anxiety that comes with it) is that it’s an absolutely necessary emotion. Our brains are wired such that it’s difficult to take action until we feel at least some level of this emotional state. In fact, performance peaks under the heightened activation that comes with moderate levels of stress. As long as the stress isn’t prolonged, it’s harmless.

Precious metals have been toted as a solution to some of this volatility. These metals are generally viewed as “liquid” and don’t bear many obvious risks. So why aren’t more financial analysts telling you to invest in precious metals?

Apparently cows are terrorists too. Last month, journalists reported—in what can only be described as a “chicken-run” scenario of cows plotting their big escape—that a herd of dairy cows in central Germany caused an explosion in their housing facility.